2024 in review: 10 athletes who defined the year

The past year will go down as one of the best in recent sports history. There was something for everyone, from the Olympics to Euros to stacked playoff series.

We saw athletes break records and become stars, and legends cement themselves in their respective Hall of Fames. Below, in no particular order, are 10 athletes who defined a superb sports year.

Shohei Ohtani

MLB's never seen a player like Ohtani.

The 30-year-old signed a $700-million deal - baseball's most lucrative at the time - with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023 after a frenzied free agency. Expectations for the season were at an all-time high and Ohtani didn't disappoint (despite a gambling saga involving his interpreter in the spring).

Before Ohtani, Alex Rodriguez had the most prolific home-run hitting and stolen-base season of all time, in 2007, when he hit 54 home runs and stole 24 bags. Ohtani more than doubled that steals total, accumulating 59 in the regular season. He became the inaugural and exclusive member of the 50/50 club in September, and capped it all off by winning his first World Series.

Crazier still: Ohtani wasn't at full capacity in 2024. He'll pitch and hit in 2025 after undergoing major elbow surgery in September 2023.

Memorable moment: Ohtani homers to become the first member of MLB's 50-50 club.

Simone Biles

You can't call it a comeback if she never left.

Biles is the face of the U.S. Olympic team. She went to Paris in the summer under immense pressure, looking to become the first gymnast to win two individual all-around titles nonconsecutively and seeking redemption after an infamous case of "the twisties" sidelined her at the Tokyo Games.

Biles did both the only way she knew how: dominantly. She became the most decorated gymnast in history with golds in team, all-around, and vault, and a silver on floor. Her routines consistently have the highest difficulties - she's the only female gymnast to successfully land the Biles II, her dangerous eponymous vault, in the sport's history.

As for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics? The GOAT hasn't ruled out her fourth Games.

Memorable moment: Biles' all-around floor exercise, which secured her second individual all-around title.

Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes wins when it matters.

The Chiefs weren't outstanding last season, nor have they been this season (despite their stellar record). In fact, Kansas City receivers struggled in 2023, leading the league in dropped passes.

Mahomes consistently finds a way, though. He set career highs in rushing attempts and yards in 2023, and the Chiefs tied an NFL record this season by winning eight of their first 11 games by one score. Never, ever count him out: Mahomes has an insane .576 win percentage when he trails by double digits, which is even more monumental in comparison to every other team in NFL history, which owns a .139 winning percentage in the same scenario.

His pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman in the end zone to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the first time in 20 years wasn't anything special, but was emblematic of his Chiefs tenure: Mahomes can and will make magic, no matter who's out there with him.

Memorable moment: Mahomes connects with Herdman in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII.

Noah Lyles

Love him or hate him, you talked about Lyles in '24.

Lyles entered his second Olympics with high expectations: become the first man since Usain Bolt to win an extremely rare double in the 100m and 200m races. He won gold in the 100m by five-thousandths of a second, in the closest final ever. He earned bronze in the 200m, collapsing on the track after the race and announcing he ran with COVID-19.

The 27-year-old made headlines on and off the track. He pulls out Yu-Gi-Oh cards before races, showboats to crowds, and challenged one of the fastest NFL players, Tyreek Hill, to a sprint. Lyles helps bring energy and attention to marquee Olympic track events, which have been sorely needed since Bolt's retirement.

Memorable moment: Lyles beats Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by 0.005 seconds in the men's 100m finals.

Caitlin Clark

If there's a record to be broken in basketball, look to Clark to break it.

Clark captivated the basketball world in 2024, making NCAA and WNBA history. She was the first rookie to be named to the All-WNBA team since 2008, and was (obviously) named the league's top rookie after setting points and assists milestones. All of this on the heels of Clark setting the NCAA's all-time points record (3,951) and the mark for most points in an NCAA tournament (191).

The 22-year-old's created what analysts call the "Caitlin Clark effect," generating public interest in women's sports that hadn't been seen before. The women's NCAA tourney final between Clark's Iowa and South Carolina was the most-watched basketball game at any level in five years, with just under 19 million viewers. The WNBA draft saw its highest viewership ever, with Clark going No. 1 to Indiana. There's no doubt: Clark's name will dominate sports for the next decade.

Memorable moment: Clark breaks Pete Maravich's 54-year D-I all-time scoring record with - what else? - a deep three.

Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler may be golf's new Tiger Woods.

In May, Scheffler won his second Masters championship in three years, becoming the fourth-youngest player to hold two Masters titles. The 27-year-old also won the Players Championship, making him only the third person to hold multiple Masters and Players titles. It was an absolutely dominant year: Scheffler was the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times before the calendar flipped to July.

He claimed gold at the Paris Olympics and won the FedEx Cup in September. The World No. 1 joins the likes of prime Woods as one of the only players to record a seven-win season.

Memorable moment: Scheffler sinks an eagle on the 13th hole to send him into first place in the third round of the Masters.

Summer McIntosh

It was the summer of Summer that Canada will never forget.

Seventeen-year-old swimming phenom McIntosh took the Paris Olympics by storm. She became the first Canadian to win three golds in a single Olympics (400m medley, 200m butterfly, and 200m medley), and she was also the first Canadian to win multiple golds in a Summer Games since Donovan Bailey won two in 1996.

McIntosh stands out because of who she beat: swimming legends and highly touted favourites including Australian Ariarne Titmus and American Katie Ledecky. McIntosh made every swim a must-experience event.

Memorable moment: McIntosh comes from behind to win a Canadian-record third Olympic gold in the 200m medley.

Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama's on another level.

The San Antonio Spurs' big man was the NBA's unanimous rookie of the year, and for good reason. He's a defensive juggernaut and led the NBA in blocks with 254 - no other player in the league recorded more than 200. His acumen helped him become the first rookie to ever make the NBA's All-Defensive team. Wembanyama also led France to a silver medal at the Olympics on home soil.

Being a rookie didn't stop Wemby from setting NBA records. He even joined 15 players in recording a 5x5: 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and five blocks in a single game. He's also the first player to score 1,500-plus points, make over 100 threes, and have 250-plus blocks in a singular season.

Memorable moment: Wemby becomes one of the youngest players to score 50 points in a NBA game.

Connor McDavid

Stars rise to the challenge when faced with adversity. Enter: McDavid.

The Edmonton Oilers opened 2023-24 poorly, firing head coach Jay Woodcroft after a 3-9-1 start. Now under Kris Knoblauch, McDavid's junior coach, the captain rose to the challenge.

He was the fourth player in history and first in three decades to record 100 assists in a season. McDavid also helped the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they quickly lost the first three games of the series to the Florida Panthers. McDavid wouldn't be swept, though, registering the most points ever accumulated in back-to-back SCF games with eight, and forcing a Game 7. Although the Oilers were unable to complete the comeback, McDavid became only the sixth player in NHL history to receive the Conn Smythe MVP trophy despite not winning the Cup.

No. 97's accolades continued to start the 2024-25 season when he became the fourth-fastest player to register 1,000 career points.

Memorable moment: McDavid scores a slick goal to help send the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final.

Jude Bellingham

JUUUUUUUUUUDE.

English soccer star Bellingham had his biggest season yet after signing with Real Madrid in 2023. He helped the team earn its fifth European double, winning La Liga and the Champions League. His 19 goals led La Liga, leading to player of the year honors, and he was also named UEFA Champions League young player of the season.

Then there was Bellingham's Euro 2024 performance. England made the final in part due to Bellingham's incredibly timely goals. His header against Serbia helped England win its group, and his astounding bicycle-kick goal against Slovakia in the Round of 16 sent the game to overtime and helped England advance.

Memorable moment: Bellingham scores a bicycle kick against Slovakia in extra time to send England to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.